The present invention relates to improvements in farm machinery, and more particularly in hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies of the type used to operate elements of farm machinery and the like.
Hydraulic operated piston and cylinder assemblies are used in many forms in farm machinery and as used, must be capable of continued reliable operation without failure. They are exposed to the elements to a greater extent than in most machinery, and generally receive little attention or maintenance, or if maintained, they still must be capable of operation by inexperienced personnel and relatively unsophisticated maintenance people. Because of being exposed to the elements and to adjacent operating parts, they must be sufficiently rugged to receive impacts, shocks and vibrations without leaking or breaking and, of course, must be capable of operation through a wide range of temperatures wherein hydraulic fluid viscosities change greatly.
Another essential is that the parts must be simple and easy to construct, and thereby easy to disassemble and maintain for servicing. Various attempts have been made to provide foolproof piston and cylinder assembly and to extend their operating life, but these have not always been successful in that difficulties still arise.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved cylinder assembly for use in farm machinery which provides improvements over structures heretofore available and wherein the parts are more simply made and assembled than in devices heretofore available and wherein the elements of construction are particularly well adapted to withstand the rigors of operation to which they are subjected on farm machinery. One of the more specific objects of the invention is to provide a cylinder and piston assembly wherein abrasive contaminants which may enter the hydraulic oil supply can be captured in a manner wherein they do not necessarily score the cylinder tube.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved piston and seal ring assembly for use between the cylinder and piston in a low pressure cylinder assembly for hydraulic farm machinery. A further object is to provide an improved sealing and assembly mechanism for a piston rod in a hydraulic cylinder assembly wherein repair of the rod seal is easily accomplished, and assembly and disassembly is more readily performed.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention, as well as equivalent structures which are intended to be covered herein will become more apparent with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred embodiment thereof in the specification, claims, and drawings in which: